Dong Nai City has petitioned relevant units regarding the layout plan for railway stations inside Long Thanh International Airport (Long Thanh Airport) based on the principle of a horizontally staggered arrangement on the site plan. Therein, the North-South high-speed railway station is arranged in a staggered position relative to the 2 stations of the 2 urban railway (metro) lines: Thu Thiem - Long Thanh and the extension of the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line toward the City Administrative Center and Long Thanh Airport.

Railway and metro stations will be laid out across the space in front of Passenger Terminal T1, Long Thanh Airport.

North-South High-Speed Railway Station Organized Independently from 2 Metro Stations

To serve traffic connectivity for Long Thanh Airport upon being put into operation, there are currently 3 railway and metro projects deploying investment and construction procedures. Among them, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh metro line is expected to be commenced by Ho Chi Minh City in July 2026.

Meanwhile, according to City Party Committee Member and Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai City People's Committee Ho Van Ha: With the objective of investing in a metro line running seamlessly from the station inside the Long Thanh Airport area to Ben Thanh station—thereby shortening the travel time from Long Thanh Airport to the center of Ho Chi Minh City to around 30 minutes—Dong Nai City also sets a target to commence the Project extending the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line to the City Administrative Center and Long Thanh Airport within the year 2026.

With a series of railway and metro projects currently deploying investment procedures, one of the urgent matters to execute is reviewing the planned layout of stations inside the Long Thanh Airport area.

In mid-June 2026, the Dong Nai City People's Committee officially proposed the layout plan for railway and metro stations inside Long Thanh Airport.

Regarding the corridor of the railway lines, Dong Nai City proposed arranging the railway and metro lines within the approach road corridor of Terminal T1. Therein, the North-South high-speed railway line is arranged along the centerline of the primary corridor of the railway system; in the direction from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai, the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line extending to the City Administrative Center and Long Thanh Airport is arranged on the left side of the North-South high-speed railway line, while the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh metro line is planned on the right side.

According to the Dong Nai City People's Committee, because the layout space in the area in front of Terminal T1 (Passenger Terminal T1) is restricted by existing approach roads into and out of the airport, viaducts, parking lots, and technical infrastructure, the proposed plan is being deployed to organize the stations according to the principle of a staggered arrangement on the site plan. Therein, the North-South high-speed railway station is arranged in a staggered position relative to the 2 stations of the 2 metro lines.

Specifically, the North-South high-speed railway station is arranged off-center toward the Northeast relative to the Terminal T1 axis. The station plays the role of the central structure of the hub cluster, connecting the North-South high-speed railway line with Long Thanh Airport and urban-regional metro lines. Meanwhile, the 2 metro stations are arranged off-center toward the Southwest relative to the Terminal T1 axis, placed parallel to each other and symmetrically across the centerline of the high-speed railway line.

Information from the Dong Nai City People's Committee indicates that with the above staggered layout plan, the North-South high-speed railway station is organized independently from the 2 stations of the 2 metro lines. The 2 metro lines are organized independently from each other in terms of structure, technology, signaling systems, train control, and operational exploitation.

With this plan, the scope of the stations allocates sufficient space for the route tunnels (underground tunnels) and platforms, station box structures, passenger distribution floors, stairs, escalators, elevators, technical rooms, ventilation systems, fire fighting and prevention, and emergency evacuation.

Staggered Layout but Centrally Connected

With the proposed plan, according to the City People's Committee, prioritizing the layout within the existing technical corridor will help limit impacts on airport approach roads, viaducts, parking lots, passenger pickup/drop-off areas, and technical infrastructure works currently being deployed.

At the same time, the metro lines and the North-South high-speed railway are organized independently in terms of structure, technology, E&M (mechanical and electrical) systems, signaling, train control, and operational exploitation. Thereby, this limits technical interface risks between lines that have different technical standards and operational requirements. Along with that, it creates conditions for each individual line to deploy investment, construction, acceptance, exploitation, and maintenance independently according to the schedule of each project.

However, this plan also has the disadvantage that the corridor for arranging underground works in the Terminal T1 area is restricted by airport approach roads, viaducts, parking lots, and technical tunnel/trench systems. Therefore, the distance between route tunnels, station boxes, diaphragm walls, structures' foundations, and technical infrastructure may have to be arranged at a minimum level, requiring the application of appropriate structural solutions and construction measures.

On the other hand, the construction of underground works within the airport area requires strict control over geology, hydrology, groundwater levels, subsidence, deformation, waterproofing, the safety of adjacent structures, site organization, and the reinstatement of traffic infrastructure post-construction.

From the above analyses, the Dong Nai City People's Committee believes that the plan to arrange the railway-metro station cluster at Long Thanh Airport in an integrated direction—staggered on the site plan but centrally connected—is an appropriate plan for continued study in the next step. This is because the plan possesses advantages in independent operational organization, reducing technology interface risks, limiting operational crossings, increasing the ability for independent implementation according to each project, and enhancing passenger transfer capacity. Simultaneously, it aligns with the role of Long Thanh Airport as an international aviation gateway and a national transport hub.

Phạm Tùng

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/